Peg leveling game



March 26, 1968 A AQSTUBBMANN ET A1. 1,.'?v75,009

PEG LEVELING GAME Filed Sept. 16, 1965 All.

A fram/fr:

3,375,009 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 3,375,009` g PEG LEVELING GAME Albert Stubbmann, New Hyde Park, and Frank' Koh'ner,

New York, N.Y., assignors to Kohn'erBros., Inc., East Paterson, NJ., a corporation of New York` Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,806' 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-156) This invention' relates to a peg leveling game.

A peg leveling game is a childs game which includes a game boardhaving a group of wells therein withl bottoms at dilferent horizontal levels. AV set of pegs is supplied of a'num'ber equal tothe number of`wells. Each peg has the same external transverse dimensions but is of a different length from all other pegs, the peg lengths being such that the' length of each peg is equal to the distance from the bottom of a different certain well to ay common higher horizontal plane. The object of the game is to place a' peg of a proper length into a certain well of proper depth sothat when each lpeg is located-in a well the tops'of'the'pegs lie in the same horizontalplane. Such games though quite simple in concept and structure' are' the pegs could be placed practically by rote into their' associated proper wells so that their tops wouldl lie in a horizontal plane, with all elements of chance, trial and manipulation eliminated. Hence, when the placement of pegs into their 4wells had been done a' few times the game would fall into disuse.

It is tthe primary object of our invention to provide a new and improved peg leveling game with which children will have long periods of play and which presents a greater challenge to children than previous peg leveling games.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a peg leveling game of the character described wherein there are provided two sets of pegs and two groups of wells, one set of'pegs carrying wells of varying depths and beingrandomly insertable into the other set of wells which are in a game board, the wells of different depths thereby being shiftable on the game board so that their location cannot be subconsciously or easily memorized by young children. Y

It is yet another object of our invention to provide a-peg leveling game of the character described which while including two setsof pegs and two groups of wellsis yet constructed'so that when selected pairs of pegs are nested one within the other and-are located in a game board; it is the attainable goal of the game to arrange the pegs so that the tops ofthe upper set of pegs-lie in the same horizontal plane.

It is yet a further object of our invention to provide" aV peg leveling game of the'character described. which is simple in construction, which can be fabricated'by massproduction techniques, and which isl durable' in play so that the game is marketable' to the parents1 of young children at arelatively low cost.

Other objects of our invention in-part will be obvio-us and in part will be pointed 'out hereinafter.

Our invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of partswhich will beexemplitedfin' 'the peg levelinggame hereinafter described yand of which the scopefof application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In thel accompanyingdrawings in which is shownone of Ithe variousl possible embodiments of our invention.

FIG. l is a top plan view of a peg leveling game constructed in accordance with our invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational cross-sectional view of our peg leveling game taken substantially along the line 2 2 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational axial cross-sectional explodedview of our peg leveling game taken substantially along theline 3-'3 of FIG. l.

In general, we provide a' peg leveling game includingY a game board with a group of upwardly open primary wells therein. EachY of the primary wells is at the same horizontal level. There' isfurther provided a set of like 'base pegs each of which is insertable'into any of the primary wells, land each of which may be of the Vsame length'. A group of upwardly opening secondary wellsv is carried by the base pegs, a different' one of said secondary wells being' located in a' top portion of'each of different base peg. Each o'f the' secondary wells is of a'- dilie'rent depth. Thus, when a child places thebase pegs into the primary wells in the game board h'e simultaneously and randomly arranges the secondary wells so that the bottom of each is at a different horizontal level.

`There is further included a set of upper' pegs each of which is insertable into any of the' secondary wells in t-he base pegs. Each of the up'per pegs is of a different' the bottom of a different certain secondary well to a common higher horizontal plane. Thereby when an upper peg is placed into its corresponding certain secondary well, the top of the upper peg will lie in a plane which is horizontal and which is at the same elevation as the tops of all other upper pegs located' in' their corresponding certain secondary wells.

Referring now in detail to' the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a peg leveling game formed in accordance with the teaching of our invention. Said game 10-includes an elongated rectangular hollow game board 12 having a flat horizontal upper face 14, la vertical co'ntinuous side wall 16 surrounding the upper face and a continuous tapered shoulder 18 which joins the upper face 14 to the side wall 16.

The game board' 12 as Well as the other components of -ou-r game-may. be formedfrom any conventionaldurable material andl especially of the type which permits mass-production of said components. By way of example a synthetic plastic, e.g'. high impact butadiene modied polystyrene, isa suitable material and the game bo-ard as well as the other components may be formed by conventional'injection molding. The game board as well as said other components maybe brightly colored to further enhance their attractiveness. Wood isa suitable alternative in which-case the game-board will not be hollow.

A flat planar bottom cover 19 closes the underside of the game board'12` andis secured, as by'an adhesive, to the bottom `boundary of the" interior of the side wall 16'. The' bottom cover is conveniently"fo'rmed Ifrom stiff press board.

The game b'o'ard has formed therein a group-of upwardly opening wells 20, lhereinafterr designated as primary wells.'Each of the wells 20 is alike in its dimensions and constitutes a stubby cylindrical bore with an open upper-end and a closed bottom end. Each primary wel-l 20 isfformed by a cylindrical side wall 22 of uniform` primary wells are in one piece with the remainder of the game board 12 and said walls and oors are contained internally of the game board and hang below the upper face 14 of said game board.

It should be emphasized that each of the primary wells is of the same depth and each of the well floors 24 lie in the same horizontal plane and at the same elevation =below the horizontal upper face 14. If for design or other purpose the top wall is not plane, the well oors, nevertheless, are in a common horizontal plane. Each of the well oors 24 lie atop the bottom cover 19. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, there are, typically, eight primary wells located in the game board, and these well oors 24 lies atop the bottom cover 19. In the illuscentered on and runs along the long central axis of the game board.

There is supplied with our peg leveling game a first set of pegs 26 which will hereinafter be referred to as base pegs. The -base pegs are of a number equal to the number of primary wells 20; hence, in the illustrated embodiment, there are eight base pegs. Each of the base pegs 26 is the same in external configuration and dimensions so that one cannot be visually differentiated from another by a child playing with the game. Each base peg 26 constitutes a cylindrical wall 28 of constant internal and external diameter. The external diameter of each peg is a few hundredths of an inch less than the diameter of the primary wells 20 so that the lower portion of each peg can be slidably inserted into any primary well and readily removed there-from by a child. The depth of the Iprimary wells 20 and the length of the base pegs 26 are such that when the lower portion of any base peg is located in any one primary well, said base peg is supported vertically upright and in stable condition. Since each of the base pegs 26 fits into any of the primary wells 20 and they are externally alike, a child will distribute the base pegs in the various wells in random order. Optionally, each of the base pegs 26 has an annular radially outwardly extending plane ange 30 at its top end. The anges 30 on the base pegs 26 are of like dimension and configuration and will, when these pegs are inserted in the primary wells, by their proximity emphasize the common planarity of said flanges.

A group of upwardly opening wells 32, these being hereinafter designated as secondary wells, is carried by the base pegs and a different one of said secondary wells is formed in each different one of the base pegs 26. Each of the secondary wells 32 is formed in part by an upper open-ended portion 34 of the cylindrical wall 28 of each of the base pegs 26, and consequently each of the secondary Wells 32 is of like diameter. Each of the base pegs includes a transverse platform 36 located between the ends of the base peg 26 and which is in one piece with the remainder of said base peg. The platform 36 blocks the otherwise hollow tubular interior of each base peg and forms a closed bottom end for each of the secondary wells 32. Each base peg 2-6 has its platform 36 at a di'fferent point intermediate its ends so that each of the secondary wells 32 though of like diameter is of a different depth from one another and hence will be located at a different horizontal level when the base pegs are in the primary wells.

The platforms 36 are so located that they vary within different base pegs from a point adjacent the lower end of the base peg which, when the base peg is located in a primary well 20, is below the level of the upper face 14 of the game board 12 (see base peg 26a) to a point slightly above midway between the ends of the base peg which, when the base peg is located in a primary well, is above the level of the upper face 14 of the game board (see base peg 26b). It will be appreciated that although each of the base pegs carries a secondary well of a different depth, a child playing with the game is not visually aware of the depth of a well in any particular base peg, and cannot memorize the depths of the wells since each base peg looks alike externally. Hence, when the base pegs 26 are randomly arranged in the primary wells 20, secondary wells of various depths are -fortuitously distributed along the line of primary wells as shown in FIG. 2.

Our peg leveling game includes another and second set of pegs 38, these being hereinafter designated as upper pegs. Each of the upper pegs 38 is formed 4by a cylindrical hollow tubular wall 40 of constant external and internal diameter and each of the upper pegs 38 is of the same dia-meter. Each of the upper pegs 38 is of an external diameter such that its lower portion will readily fit into any one of the secondary wells 32 in the base pegs 26 and can be removed therefrom by a small child. The external diameter of each of the upper pegs 38 is substantially smaller than the diameter of the primary wells 20 so that if a child by happenstance locates an upper peg 38 in a primary well, it will be immediately apparent to him by the fact that the upper peg lists to one side that it does not belong therein in the proper play with the game.

Each of the upper pegs 38 carries at its upper end an annular radially outwardly extending plane horizontal circular flange 42. Each of the flanges 42 is of the same external diameter and each of the anges 42 is of such diameter compared with the spacing between the primary wells 20 that when the pegs are properly assembled in the game board, the anges `42 almost touch (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

Each of the upper pegs 38 is of a different length from the other upper pegs 38 in the set o-f upper pegs and this variation in dimension is the only one apparent to a child playing with the game among either the groups of Wells or the sets of pegs. Each upper peg is of a length such that when it is placed into a different certain secondary well 32 in a base peg 26, its top end will lie in a horizontal plane which is at the same elevation as the top ends of other upper pegs 38 located in their corresponding secondary wells 32. To this end, each upper peg 38 has a length which is made up of two component lengths. One of these is a constant length C (see upper peg 38h of FIG. 2) and the other of these is a variable length V, which latter length is equal to the depth of the secondary Well 32 in said base peg 26b. By way of another example, the length of the upper peg 38a is `made up of a constant length C, which of course is the same as the length C of the upper peg 38b, and of a variable length V which is equal to the depth of the secondary well 32 in the base peg 26a. It will be obvious that since each of the upper pegs 38 nests within its associated base peg 26 to the eX- tent of its `variable length V, each of the upper pegs 38 protr-udes above the level of the base pegs 26 to the same extent, this comprising the length C. Accordingly, when each of the upper pegs 38 is inserted properly in its corresponding base peg 26, each of the top ends of the upper pegs 38, that is, the anges 42, will lie in the same horizontal plane and each will be at the same elevation with respect to the game board 12. Such common elevation is emphasized 'by the proximity of the now coplanar flanges 42.

To play our peg leveling game, the child rst removes all of the pegs, taking the base pegs out of the primary wells and the upper pegs out of the secondary wells. Then, the base pegs are inserted into the primary wells in any order, thus presenting within the line of primary wells, a fortuitous pattern of well depths within the base pegs. Then the child puts a few of the upper pegs into some of the secondary wells in the -base pegs. As a rule, on the first try, the tops of the upper pegs 38 will be at varying elevations. The child then shifts or rearranges the upper pegs into the secondary wells in the base pegs until two or more of the upper pegs 38 have their anges 42 at the samelevel. With at least two flanges so positioned, the remaining upper pegs 38 are shifted around or rearranged until their flanges also are located at the same horizontal level, by Virtue 0f each Upper peg having been placed in a correctly corresponding base peg. It will be evident that the proper location of upper pegs and base pegs is es.

sentially by trial and error, but when a few of the upper pegs have been properly located, an observable goal is set for the child by which he can judge whether subsequent placement of upper pegs in base pegs is proceeding correctly.

Our peg leveling game which has just been described will attract the attention of young children for long periods of play. Since the wells of varying depths are randomly located in the game board when the base pegs 26 are inserted into the primary Wells 20, a child cannot learn by rote the location of the wells of different depths. Accordingly, each time a child removes all of the pegs fram the game board and tries to reassemible the upper pegs so that their top ends lie in the same horizontal plane, he will meet a new challenge which Will entertain him in the desired fashion.

It thus will be seen that we have provided a game `'which achieves the several objects of our invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made 0f our above invention, and as various changes might be rnade in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described 0r shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A peg leveling garne including a `game board with a group of upwardly opening primary wells therein, a set of base pegs of a number equal to the number of primary wells, each base peg having a lower section snugly removably interchangably received in any one primary well so as to support the base peg in vertically erect condition, a group of upwardly opening secondary wells one in each base peg, and a set of upper pegs, each upper peg having a lower section snugly removably interchangeably received in any one secondary well so as to support the upper peg in vertically erect condition, one group of wells each having the same depth and the other group of wells each having a depth different from one another, one set of pegs being all of like external dimensions including their lengths and the other set of pegs being of like external dimensions but being of lengths different from one another, the pegs of the set of pegs receivable in the wellsof different depths being each of a different length such that when selected upper pegs are nested within certain pegs and said corresponding base pegs are received in certain pn'- mary wells, the tops of the upper pegs will lie in the same horizontal plane.

2. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transverse dimensions `of the two sets of pegs are different from one another so that the upper pegs are not snugly interchangably receivable in the primary wells and the base pegs are not snugly interchangably receivable in the secondary wells.

3. A peg leveling game including a game board with a group of upwardly opening like primary wells therein having their closed ends at the same horizontal level, a set of base pegs of a number equal to the number of primary wells and all of like external dimensions including their lengths, each base peg having a lower section snugly removably interchangably received in any one primary well so as to support the base peg in vertically erect condition, a group of upwardly opening secondary wells one in each diiferent one of the base pegs and each of a different depth from the other secondary wells, and a set of upper pegs of a number equal to the number of secondary wells and all of like external dimensions but each of a different length from the other upper pegs, each upper peg having a lower section snugly removably interchangably received in any one secondary well so as to support the upper peg in vertically erect condition, the depth of each secondary well being matcha-ble with the length of a certain diierent one of the upper pegs s0 that when each upper peg is nested within the secondary well of a matching lbase peg and the base pegs are received in the primary wells, the tops of the upper pegs will lie in the same horizontal plane.

4. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 3 wherein the transverse dimensions of the two sets of pegs are different from one another so that the upper pegs are not snugly interchanga-bly receivable in the primary wells and the base pegs are not snugly interchangably receivable in the secondary wells.

5. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 3 wherein the upper pegs are of smaller transverse dimensions than the base pegs.

6. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 3 wherein the game board has a at horizontal upper face and wherein each of the primary wells is of the same depth.

7. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 3 wherein all of the pegs are cylindrical, wherein the upper pegs each is of smaller external diameter than the base pegs, and wherein each ofthe wells is of circular transverse section, the secondary wells each being of smaller diameter than the primary wells.

8. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 3 wherein the upper pegs each have an outwardly extending annular ange of like dimension at their upper ends.

9. A peg leveling game as set forth in claim 8 wherein the primary wells are spaced apart to an extent such that the annular ilanges of the upper pegs are closely adjacent when the game is assembled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 571,567 1l/l896 Jouve 35-32 1,848,598 3/1932 Barnes 35-29 2,377,100 5/1945 Patterson 35-22 2,764,414 9/1956 Strange 273-139 2,905,474 9/1959 Iahr 273-153 2,942,887 6/1960 Kirk 273--139 ANTON OrOECHSLE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PEG LEVELING GAME INCLUDING A GAME BOARD WITH A GROUP OF UPWARDLY OPENING PRIMARY WELLS THEREIN, A SET OF BASE PEGS OF A NUMBER EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF PRIMARY WELLS, EACH BASE PEG HAVING A LOWER SECTION SNUGLY REMOVABLY INTERCHANGABLY RECEIVED IN ANY ONE PRIMARY WELL SO AS TO SUPPORT THE BASE PEG IN VERTICALLY ERECT CONDITION, A GROUP OF UPWARDLY OPENING SECONDARY WELLS ONE IN EACH BASE PEG, AND A SET OF UPPER PEGS, EACH UPPER PEG HAVING A LOWER SECTION SNUGLY REMOVABLY INTERCHANGABLY RECEIVED IN ANY ONE SECONDARY WELL SO AS TO SUPPORT THE UPPER PEG IN VERTICALLY ERECT CONDITION, ONE GROUP OF WELLS EACH HAVING THE SAME DEPTH AND THE OTHER GROUP OF WELLS EACH HAVING A DEPTH DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER, ONE SET OF PEGS BEING ALL OF THE LIKE EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS INCLUDING THEIR LENGTHS AND THE OTHER SET OF PEGS BEING OF LIKE EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS BUT BEING OF LENGTHS DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER, THE PEGS OF THE SET OF PEGS RECEIVABLE IN THE WELLS OF DIFFERENT DEPTHS BEING EACH OF A DIFFERENT LENGTH SUCH THAT WHEN SELECTED UPPER PEGS ARE NESTED WITHIN CERTAIN PEGS AND SAID CORRESPONDING BASE PEGS ARE RECEIVED IN CERTAIN PRIMARY WELLS, THE TOPS OF THE UPPER PEGS WILL LIE IN THE SAME HORIZONTAL PLANE. 